Monday, November 5, 2012

2 KINGS 14-15 THE SINS OF JEROBOAM

2 Kings 14:23-24 Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel... did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.2 Kings 15:8-9 Zechariah son of Jeroboam... did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his fathers had done. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.2 Kings 15:17-18 Menahem son of Gadi... did evil in the eyes of the Lord. During his entire reign he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.2 Kings 15:24 Pekahiah did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.2 Kings 15:27-29 Pekah son of Remaliah... did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. In the time of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh and Hazor. He took Gilead and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and deported the people to Assyria.

The kings of the northern kingdom, Israel, were succeeding one another through murders and assassinations. Furthermore, they generally continued in the "sins of Jeroboam" who was the first king of the rebellious northern kingdom. His sin was to build competing altars of golden calves at Bethel and Dan so that the northern tribes would not have to travel south to Jerusalem to make their sacrifices. And this two shrines became a curse in Israel, leading to its final downfall at the hands of the Assyrians in 722 B.C.

Israel was continually spared from destruction despite their persistence in committing the "sins of Jeroboam" over two centuries. But God's patience is not without limit--when a people continually ignore his warnings, judgment follows. The northern kingdom fell to the Assyrians and the people were deported to Assyria.

God's grace is not an excuse for continuing in sins, but the power of God to deliver us from sins. Israel took God's grace for granted and the people paid for the consequences of their own sins.

Father, may we learn from Israel's example to remember Your grace is not excuse to continue in sins, but Your power to repent and turn from our wicked ways. Amen.

Total Pageviews

Followers

Translate

Search This Blog

Follow by Email

About Me

Then Chee Min's current passion is persuading church and marketplace leaders to adopt a missional vision that is transformational, aligning people with God's Kingdom agenda as expressed through the Gospel. He is available to preach, teach and train on missional leadership.